The use of silicones as textile finishing agents has grown rapidly because of the many desirable properties which they impart to fabrics such as durable water repellency, water borne-spot and stain resistance, luxurious hand and drape, improved sewability, increased flex abrasion resistance, increased tear strength, improved wrinkle recovery and others. Conventional silicones are non-reactive dimethylpolysiloxane products. However, to obtain maximum durability on the fabric, reactive or curable dimethylpolysiloxane polymers are now widely being used.
One major disadvantage of dimethylpolysiloxane polymers as finishing agents, whether reactive or non-reactive, is that the finish offers no benefit relative to antistat properties or water absorbency. Conventional dimethylpolysiloxane polymer finishes increase the hydrophobicity of a fabric.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a silicone finishing agent which provides fiber/fabric lubricity, (i.e. "hand") which is hydrophilic and which offers antistat properties not achievable with conventional silicone finishes.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide such a silicone finishing agent which is curable and not removed during laundering.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide such a silicone finishing agent to improve soil/stain release properties on fibers or fabrics.